DR x APH - World's Hope Academy
by sassyslowpoke
Summary: Honda Sakura, a reserved girl with an interest in western culture, has been accepted into the critically-acclaimed school World's Hope Academy, representing her home country of Japan. However, her Good Luck quickly goes bad and she is forced to abandon her passiveness so she can survive a game of mutual killing with 15 classmates trapped inside said school of "Hope." t but may rise
1. Prologue

**This fic is just a nod to/crossover/parody between APH and Dangan Ronpa – I am in no way affiliated with either nor do I claim any of their property as mine. They respectively belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Spike Chunsoft.**

**A/N:** so yeah uh. Here's a crossover thing I tried between dr and hetalia?

***I highly recommend you read (or at least watch) dangan ronpa before reading this because HECKIE it's a good series and 2. DANGAN RONP A

Anyways the general idea of it is that 15 kids enroll to a high school called Hope's Peak? And yeah they pass out at the entrance gate, wake up, school's windows are nailed shut and security cameras are everywhere, a little communist teddy bear called monobear/monokuma tells them they have to either agree to live in the school forever or kill someone and get away with it to graduate. also includes famous actors such as naegg and swaggami,

Also keep in mind that I guess there'll be spoilers to the actual game in this fic if I even get that far

The prologue basically probably seems like a big dumb copy paste of the game but yeah it'll differ later uh sorry ye a

Also psa on the names – I threw in a few nyotalia character for whatever reason, but it's told from fem!japan/Sakura Honda's point of view – also Chun-Yan is fem!china and Xiao Mei is Taiwan. So yea yeehaw

**Prologue**

World's Hope Academy.

I stood at the school's gates for a moment, gazing up at the amazing architecture of the building I was to spend the next four years attending. The campus was huge, and the school itself was rated as one of the best in the world. It brought in students from many different countries and allowed them to grow and learn together in a safe, enjoyable environment. The goal was not only to create intelligent and skilled adults, but to make them open-minded and aware. Each student accepted is not only a master of their own nation's culture and history, but are especially skilled in one certain field, and given the title "Super High School Level."

I was, of course, the exception, which took a big toll to my self-esteem. Every year a lottery was held, and one lucky student would be able to attend without meeting the extremely high terms the other students were required to reach, and given the title "Super High School Level Good Luck." I had been pessimistic about the whole thing for a while, afraid that I wasn't fit for being a student of World's Hope Academy; however, as I gazed up at the majestic school before me, my doubts seemed to float to the back of my mind, and a big smile appeared on my face.

With new courage, I stepped through the gates, looking forward to a better future…

And suddenly, my vision started to blur, and my head began throbbing, and…

Everything went dark.

Gradually, I came to, and the throbbing in my head died down. My arms were crossed. My head was lying in them. I was sitting. I was in a chair. My arms and head were lying on a desk.

I lifted my head up with much effort, blinking away the blurriness in my eyes. I was in a dimly lit room. There was a blackboard at the front of the room; it was a classroom, or, at least, resembled one. I stood up, more aware now, my stomach twisting a bit. There were windows. No, there weren't; there were iron plates nailed and screwed to the wall in a very grotesque-looking way. My stomach turned even more at this. I looked down; I was wearing the girl's school uniform that has previously been in my World's Hope Academy tote bag. It was then that I realized that my bag was nowhere to be found. I panicked for only a moment, telling myself that I probably just fainted from anxiousness or excitement, and I was already in the school.

Still, this room was strange. Very strange.

I walked over to the table where, normally, a teacher would be sitting, grading papers or scolding students. On it were a few words, followed by a huge broken heart, colored in… crayon?

"Hiya, valued new student! Please hurry your ass up to a welcoming party being held in the gymnasium! It starts at 8AM!"

The paper was not signed. I hesitated, wondering if it was some kind of joke or prank being played on me, but decided against that; they wouldn't do that to a new student. I looked around for a clock, finding one above the door; 7:58. I gasped, running towards the hallway, but stopped as I reached the door.

_I… I must have been seeing things, there's no way that was…_

I turned around, looking on the wall opposite of the door…

Hanging on that wall, pointing right at her, was a fairly large security camera.

Brow furrowed, I turned back around and walked out slowly. _This oppressive feeling… It's strange… I guess everything will be explained at the welcoming party._

The hallway was dark, as well; there were very dim fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling every few yards, and along the wall hung different flags from different nations. I was too bent on finding the gymnasium to look for the flag of Japan, however.

The hall split left and right further down, and after looking both ways and seeing what looked like a gymnasium door to the left, I hurried that way.

I unceremoniously swung open the door, panting, to find a massive room with hard wood floor and many different types of sports nets and courts around it, and flags hanging from the ceiling in a similar fashion to the hallways. However, most notable was the mass of students standing in the center that now all had their eyes on me.

I slowly realized my situation and, flustered, stood up straight, fixed my hair, and bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry for my tardiness!"

There was a pat on my back, and I looked up, meeting the auburn eyes of a happy-looking boy around my size. "It's okay, _bella_~! _Buongiorno!_ The event hasn't even started yet, so there's no need to worry!"

I blinked, appreciative of his kindness, but getting the feeling that there was an ulterior motive in his gestures. Quickly, I recognized him as Feliciano Vargas, a Super High School Level Chef from Italy.

Before I could reply, however, another face greeted me. "_Bonjour, cher._ You must know me, no?"

"I, uhh…" The Super High School Level Lover, Francis Bonnefoy, of France… I took a step back, blushing ever so slightly. "Thank you, yes, I ha-"

"Hey, have some decency, you stupid frog!" interrupted another, and a boy with short blonde hair shoved the flirtatious man to the side, and took my hand. "Hello, love. My name is Arthur Kirkland. It's a pleasure to meet me, yes?"

"Ehh…" The English magician… I'd heard about him, as well, and tried my best to overcome my shock at so many people shaking my hand and greeting me at once. "Yes, I have, your acts are very amazing."

The Englishman seemed proud of himself, straightening and looking away. "They are, quite."

"Hey, Arthur, if you're really that sexually frustrated why don't you let me calm you down…?" came Francis' voice again; he had apparently pulled himself off the ground while Arthur had been gloating.

"NO WAY! Get the hell away from me, you bastard!"

I was dazed. _Am I in some kind of manga…?_

The two were promptly pulled apart and held away from each other by a rather small girl with dark skin. "I'm so sorry! These two are absolutely out of control, ahaha! I'm Michelle! Please don't have a bad opinion of them, they're just a little bad with introductions!"

I didn't know much about Michelle, the Super High School Level Angler from Seychelles, but I already admired her for being able to hold back the two European boys. "Er, thank you very much. It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Sakura Honda, the Super High School Level Good Luck…"

"Um… do you know anything else about our situation, Sakura?" came a quieter voice, and I turned to see someone whom I was almost sure was not old enough to even be in high school. "I'm… Elise Vogel… by the way…"

I could barely hear her, but I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Vogel-san. And no, I just woke up in a strange room… I think I passed out when I walked into the school, sorry…"

"That's the case with us, too!" said a booming voice; Sadiq Adnan, Super High School Level Tour Guide. "I can definitely give ya a free tour of the school once the welcoming ceremony's over, though, Sakura!"

_Tour Guide, huh…_ I thought curiously. _This school really does have strange standards…_

"Zzz…" Herakles, whom I remembered faintly that he was in the school for his success and skill as a historian, was lying on the floor in a heap. It was sad.

"Uwaaah! You're the representative from Japan, right?!" came another obnoxious voice, and I was no sooner stuck in the arms of some American guy much larger than me. "Did you bring any anime DVDs with you?! We should definitely watch them after this!" He, after a moment, released me. It was Alfred Jones, of course, the Super High School Level "Hero"… it was a strange title, but apparently he did save a lot of people from car crashes and robberies and such, like a vigilante, except his dorky and child-like personality stopped the authorities from wanting to punish a person like that.

"Whoa, no way! We should definitely become friends, Sakura! We gotta stick together, since almost everyone else here is a Westerner!" Chun-Yan Wang told me, resting one arm on my shoulder. "Just call me neenee! If you ever get hurt, I can definitely give you some medicine and fix you up, for a small fee!" She seemed shady; I reminded myself not to become too close of a friend to her.

"Eh? Why would we get hurt in a school like this, Chun-Yan?" said Xiao Mei, the Super High School Level Fashion Star. "Our protection is it's number one priority, right?" I was almost intimidated by how pretty she was; though she was Taiwanese, I'd seen her on many covers of Japanese magazines, looking beautiful.

"Hey, Gilbert, get the hell off him! They don't allow fighting here!" demanded a female voice from within the crowd.

"YOU BASTARD! I'm the Super High School Level Soldier, you know! I'll kick your ass!"

"Ufufu~!"

I caught a glimpse of the three students chasing each other down; Gilbert Beilschmidt, the Super High School Level Soldier, was a rather mysterious fellow who didn't have a lot of information about him on the internet; he was apparently of a family of hardened soldiers that were particularly popular during WWII and the Cold War. Elizaveta Hedervary was a swimmer from Hungary, though I got the feeling she was probably physically stronger than Gilbert himself; apparently they were childhood friends, but it was only a rumor. And Ivan Braginsky was a very shady Russian as well as a ballet dancer. He, too, didn't have a lot of information about him on the internet, but after I'd seen one of his dances on Youtube I'd completely ignored the fact that ballerinas were stereotypically feminine; it was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen.

Most of the students surrounded me walked off into their own groups, and I took a deep sigh. This was an interesting class, to say the least. I looked around for signs of a teacher or principal of some sort, but found none; I did, however, make awkward eye contact with a very shy looking girl with long blonde hair; she almost looked like a distant relative of Alfred. _She must be Marguerite Williams,_ I thought to myself.

Before I could walk over and greet her, there was a strange noise, followed by a dimming of the lights; we all turned to the stage at the end of the gymnasium with only slightly curious gazes.

What happened then was… well, very, _very _hard to explain.

Something flew up from below and landed on the podium. It was not a teacher. It was not a human, even…

It resembled a cat, like something from my country, a cartoon, but… it was off.

"Good mo~rning, kids! I hope you're having a wonderful first day of school! Welcome, welcome!"

I was speechless. Apparently everyone else was, too, as there was a deep, impenetrable silence coating all of us.

The stuffed animal stood up. "Wh-why is everyone so quiet? You're gonna make me cry! Come on, did you treat your other head masters like this?!"

I looked around, making eye contact with some of the other students, but they all seemed to have the same shocked expression.

"Uwaah, it's cute!" someone finally broke the silence – it was Chun-Yan. "Kitty!"

"I.. is that a.. STUFFED ANIMAL?! What the hell kind of game is this school playing, anyway!" came Arthur's voice.

"Perhaps it is a remote-controlled device… and it's just the school's way of making the opening ceremony more comfortable or hip or something…" said Elise quietly, who was standing next to me.

"I'm not a stuffed animal or a remote-controlled device, you idiots! I'm just like the first girl said! Mononeko! Get it right!"

Silence again. This seemed much too advanced to be a simple robot or pre-recorded welcoming device…

"Anyway, welcome to the most amazing school on this planet, World's Hope Academy! This is an amazing place, I'll let you know now! For the time you will be on campus, you will be doing many fun activities… Learning, making friends, making enemies, gossiping, drawing on the side of your math papers, making macaroni paintings, mutual killing, learning about other cultures…"

"…Wait, what was that? Mutual…"

"Mutual killing?"

I blinked. The pit in my stomach that I'd felt back in the classroom – it was gradually returning.

"Oh, right, yes! Mutual killing, of course! Snap your roommate's neck in their sleep, poison their food, hang them from the rafters of the gym, you know! Just no firearms, though! I'm looking at you, Weapons Specialist!"

"Wh-wh… killing…? What are you talking about…?" Elise muttered.

"Ah! As for the time you will be on campus, that will be forever! Hehehe, there is no leaving, not unless you decide to kill!"

The blanket of silence thickened. A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek. I was losing my composure; and so were the other students. I began to hear mutters. "Hey, hey… this is a joke, right…?" "Where's the real headmaster? And the faculty?" "Jeez, I kind of want to go home now…"

"What are you cuties muttering about? I am the headmaster! What I say is law, right? Because this school is where all of you will be living for the rest of your lives, right? Unless you die, of course, gahahaha!" Mononeko said, jumping off the podium and bowing. "Does everyone understand?"

I realized my teeth were chattering. This was all so absurd. However, the images of the nailed windows and security cameras flashed in my mind. It was absurd, but… was it, really… not a joke…?

"No, I don't understand, you fucking stuffed toy! Where the hell is the exit? Why the fuck should I take orders from some robot animal?!" Gilbert shouted with a more serious look on his face than before.

"Ehehe, do you really not understand? You must be very stupid, Gil-Gil. For those of you bastards who choose not to trust and believe in your loving headmaster, feel free to explore around the first section of the school!"

More nervous glances were exchanged.

"Anyway, there should be a school ID in all of your pockets, so please take them out and read all the rules at least 1500 times! I can't have anyone breaking a rule, or I'll claw you apart and turn you into kitty litter!"

We all tentatively took out the small electronic cards in our pockets; mine was colored like the Japanese flag, of course, so I supposed the others were colored like their respective country's flags… I turned it on; a profile of myself was there. I clicked on a tab reading "School Rules", written in Japanese, and read through them…

In short, were free to explore the school and do almost anything – including killing – the only exception being doing anything perverted – peeping on girls and the like. Firearms and the production of firearms was strictly prohibited… I wondered why if there were apparently none in the school to begin with. Expressing your opinion verbally to the "headmaster" – Mononeko, I presumed – was allowed, but if it got physical, he would apparently "send different parts of your body flying in different directions in a magnificent show of human fireworks."

Just as I finished reading the last rule, there was a yell, and I snapped my head up to find Gilbert running full speed at Mononeko. I gasped, wanting to stop him, but Elizaveta, who'd been standing near him, was faster.

In a flash, right before the German boy was about to throw a punch at the "headmaster", the agile girl swung her leg forward and tripped him. He took a tremendous fall and landed fat on his face.

Mononeko burst out in laughter that would be, in a different situation, cute. "Amazing, amazing! It looks like Miss Hedervary here has a head start!"

Elizaveta looked up with wide eyes, clearly not having that be her intention.

"Anyway, I'll let you students get settled in! I hope you all make friends and learn about each other and each other's countries! And kill each other! Bye-bye!"

And, just like that, Mononeko was gone, leaving 14 wide-eyed, frozen students and one unconscious one alone in the gymnasium.

I stood there for a long time, staring at the place the stuffed animal – no, the headmaster, "Mono-neko", had been. Just a few hours ago, I had been so excited, so prepared to live in and experience western culture, to learn about other countries, to meet new people, and to maybe come out of the timid shell I'd been living in for my whole life and make friends, but this was not at all what I had been expecting.

/

I hope mononeko isn't as much of a blatant rip off of monobear I'm gonna explain the correlation between the two story wise later on if I decide there is one

Basically mononeko's just like that cool mom ur friend has that u wish was ur mom but they really aren't and they always buy better snacks and stuff and try to act hip around u kids but it comes off as embarrassing. also she acts like your typical anime like deviantart OC kawaii-desu lolita waifu a lot of the time like if this were a drinking game and u had to take a shot every time mononeko would say kawaii or uguu then ud probably get Very Drunk,

**8/25 EDIT**: Changed fem! japan's name entirely to sakura (i didn't want to originally for multiple reasons, one being sakura was a character in the original dr game, also it's technically a fanon name and not any of the ones Himaruya suggested, but since it's a lot easier to write in Japanese characters and a lot more common i decided to change it? also sakura oogami is my bb

Anyways if you find i've written an incorrect name in any later chapter (or a country name! trust me i do this sometimes) please tell me!


	2. Chapter 1 - Part 1

**This fic is just a nod to/crossover/parody between APH and Dangan Ronpa – I am in no way affiliated with either nor do I claim any of their property as mine. They respectively belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Spike Chunsoft.**

**A/N: **hello friends I am here with chapter 2 Story

its still boring but I promise it gets better soon ok xoxo lots of cookies if u read this far congratulations

the first murder is coming soon I can feel it and its gonna be ZETSUBOU-EXTUREEEEMMMUUUU

**Chapter 1 – Part 1**

I stood there, still, watching as the class whom had just met each other break up into smaller groups and leave the huge gymnasium, or just leave alone – I assumed they were all going back to their dorms, at least for the moment, or to explore with what mental energy they had left.

I soon found myself alone in the gym – Francis, Feliciano, and Arthur had all been too downtrodden or shocked to even notice me – with Elizaveta and Gilbert. I blinked, noticing them; Elizaveta, who probably didn't have the heart to leave the unconscious German boy lying there, was trying to lift him or at least move him. I approached her.

"U-uh, Elizaveta-san, m-may I help with anything…?" I asked shyly.

She pulled on his arm for a moment, and, sweating, dropped it and looked at me. "No, that's really not necessary, but thank you… Sakura, was it?"

I nodded.

"Well, Sakura… Ignore how unladylike I am right now… I'm just not up to leaving this guy on the ground like this, as much of a jerk he was…" the girl said with a frustrated look. "Those other men are so rude, leaving all this work to a girl, right?! Just kidding!"

She attempted once again to lift the boy whom I'd assumed was rather scrawny. I felt as though I already understood Elizaveta Hedervary; though she tried to be polite and well-mannered, she had a hidden rough side that she seemed to rely on.

"W-well, they're probably just upset because of what just transpired…" I muttered.

Elizaveta's eyes narrowed, but she didn't reply. She seemed distracted; as though I had just pulled a very unpleasant thought from the back of her mind, and reminded her of it.

"Right," she stated curtly after a moment. "…Well, I'm going to stay here and try and lug him back to his dorm, or wait for him to wake up, I guess… Hey, if you can, could you see if any of the big heavylifting-looking type of guys could come in here and help me, while you're out exploring? Or, if you want to go back to your room, that's fine too, I guess…"

Finally being given some way to help the poor girl, I nodded, bowed, and headed for the exit.

The hallway was dark, though interesting. I'd read much – possibly too much – about this school; it has four wings, based off of four continents – North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. South America and Oceania were intended to be added, but were closed for renovation, and therefore students from those continents were automatically denied entry. It was highly controversial; the issue had been ongoing even when I'd received my acceptance letter.

This wing was North America. I supposed the Canadian and American classmates of mine found it familiar; the rooms were set up like a typical American high school, rooms had American, Canadian, Mexican, and so on flags and maps, and there was a "Special" room full of different medals and awards earned by North American students. The room was also decorated with various antiques and interesting artifacts from past wars and eras. I took note of many things, notably a Native American spear, some kind of polearm used for hunting in Canada, many different types of guns – though, all were in photo form, proving Mononeko's statement about firearms – and other possibly deadly weapons. Normally, I would have probably taken much interest in this certain room - I'd heard about many of the events recapped and persons framed in history books – but now, I only saw it as someone's means to an end.

In addition to this room, there was the gym – which also had a weight training room off to the side of it, and a supply closet full of things used in normal gym classes.

So, essentially, things that would not be used in this school… Not unless everyone decided to put aside the fact that were stuck here until "mutual killing began", and played a nice game of kickball…

I sighed and exited the gymnasium once again, having brought Herakles in from the North American history room to help Elizaveta with Gilbert. I'd explored most of this section of the school, or at least as much as I could for today. Hopefully nobody had the guts to murder someone overnight, though I didn't quite trust my classmates.

My stomach growled, and I frowned. "How could I forget… Shouldn't there be a cafeteria or some place to get food…?"

"_Nyaaaa~! _You bet!"

I jumped, turning to the noise that suddenly came from the left.

"M-Mononeko?"

"Don't act so surprised, now! You're just like the shy protagonist in a bishounen manga, if you get much more boring I might just kill you off myself! Hehehehe!"

I stepped back a little with a worried look.

"Don't worry! I wouldn't do something like that, that'd totally ruin my cuteness and make me into some sort of yandere character! I hope you didn't take that seriously!" Mononeko exclaimed with what could be taken as a smile and even a blush.

I was weirded out, to say the least. My stomach grumbled again.

"Nyahaha! Anyway, food! Since you humans don't eat birds and mice like everyone else does, I prepared a special café for all of you, serving exclusively the best gourmet Canadian and American foods!"

"…"

Mononeko gave me an expectant look. "Well? What are you waiting for? This stuff's what all the cool kids are eating today! Hehehe! And you're a lover of all things Western, right?"

I couldn't ignore my hunger, no matter how questionable Mononeko's statements were. "Right, I… I'll follow you to the café, then…"

"Yee-nya! Let's go, then!"

The cafeteria was nothing like I'd expected it to be – it was more like a restaurant. A fast food restaurant. Or, at least, one half of it was; the other half looked more like the remote, family-owned restaurant featured in movies set in the mountains in Canada, that had everything home made. I looked up at the menu; the American menu was filled with typical fast food items, while the Canadian one was nothing but pancakes.

"That's not what I'd call Canadian cuisine!" barked Francis as he entered the café – apparently there'd been an announcement about its location, as the only one already in the room was Arthur.

Speaking of Arthur: "What the hell kind of food is this! You said you wouldn't unnecessarily take our lives, and then you expect me to _eat _when all you serve is this disgusting fried American garbage?!"

"Hehehe, then maybe you'd prefer a raw squirrel, or some cat nibble?" Mononeko asked the Englishman, who only looked away with an angry look.

Almost everyone had arrived at this point; Alfred was already picking up food – which apparently was restocked so we wouldn't starve – from the American side of the café, while the quiet Marguerite was eating pancakes in the corner of the Canadian section. I looked down to my side again, only to find that Mononeko had vanished.

I took a seat near Elizaveta, wanting to ask how the thing with Gilbert had gone but not knowing how to word it. When I'd finally prepared myself, Alfred interrupted:

"Well, everyone, as the leader, I say we meet here every breakfast! Then we can have awesome food that totally improves everyone's mood and start off the day the best way possible!" Alfred announced a burger in one hand, standing on top of a table near the front of the restaurant.

Multiple complaints – mostly from Arthur – came from the crowd.

"Don't worry, everyone~! As the great Super High School Level Chef, I can create the best meals for my classmates!" Feliciano said, standing up with a big smile. "I asked Mononeko, and she said there's a closet in the back full of ingredients! Yahoo~!"

The Italian's positive attitude was refreshing, but hardly enough to cheer everyone up. _When did Mononeko become Mononeko-_chan_…? _I thought curiously.

"Hey, hey! Then, we have to worry about whether you'll poison us, right?!" Xiao Mei asked with a worried tone.

Feliciano looked taken aback, and even tearful. "I-I wouldn't d-dare! H-how could everyone… doubt me like that… sniff…"

The floor suddenly became highly interesting to every other student in the café.

And then there was silence.

_Poison_, right, this was a game of life and death. We weren't just living peacefully in the school. I'd grown up trusting everyone around me, but now that I was here, now that I looked around at all the different faces with different expressions… Doubt, suspicion, and worry all overtook my mind. One of us could already be planning on killing another. What about tension between nationalities? It seemed like a longshot, but Arthur and Francis had already been at each other's throats multiple times in the past few hours.

"P…poison… But what if Feliciano does poison us all…? What if one of us does kill…?"

"Shit, I wasn't planning on going to some kind of weird battle royale high school…"

"I miss my family…"

I looked down, thinking of my home country, Japan, and suddenly wondering why my past self had ever been so interested in the West, if my interest had led to a situation like this…

"Hey hey, cheer up, everyone! I'll definitely save everyone! And if not, I'm sure my special ops task forces will break in and rescue us all! Hahaha!" Alfred beamed, hands on his hips. "Let's all enjoy a burger, woohoo!"

There wasn't a speck of negativity in Alfred's tone; I'd taken him for a strange individual at first, but I began to admire his ability to stay positive.

"Eugh, you'd better get started on that food, soon, Feliciano. I'm quite sure that if I'm forced to eat one of those horrendous patties I'll vomit…" Arthur commented with a frown. Many others agreed.

And just like that, the room became relatively happy again; people chattered about different, lighter subjects, argued over what Feliciano should make, and so on. The sense of dread still was not completely gone from my heart, but it reassured me a bit to see everyone so happy…

"Hey, by the way, Sakura, what's the rest of the building like? I was too busy helping carry that guy out of the gym…" came a voice from beside me, and I turned to see Elizaveta looking at me.

"Oh, Miss Hedervary! I'm sorry, I forgot you were there. The school is… w-well…" I started, still very uncomfortable.

She smiled. "You don't really need the miss part, Liz is fine! Since you helped me back then, I think we're going to be great friends!"

I smiled back. Her objection seemed completely genuine at first, but I got the feeling part of it was just to make me cheer up…

The next few days went smoothly. We met in the café in the morning, Feliciano having gotten up extra early to cook breakfast for those who didn't want fries and a shake, and talked about different things; Liz introduced me to the awakened Gilbert, who'd ended up being a very eccentric fellow and was a little too worked up over how "cute" I was, and I also exchanged facts about the school with Sadiq, who had been the only other student to fully inspect the entire building that was available to us. He, too, was an expert on the school's history, and also found the fact that they trapped this many children inside to kill each other mysterious… Although, Sadiq had a very interesting way of communicating this, as his true meanings were always laced in jokes or random, cheerful banter.

"Hahaha, I've been studying this school for a while! As a tour guide, it's my job to be able to show my fellow students around, ya know?" he said with a proud grin. "I definitely approve of your research of the school, too, Sakura! _A-plus!_"

I laughed along; Sadiq had originally looked quite intimidating, with the strange mask and all, but he really was a very friendly fellow. Watching his beaming figure throw a thumbs-up at me almost made me sad; to think such genuinely good people like him would be thrown unwillingly into a situation like this…

"Anyway, why can't we go to other parts of the school, anyway, huh? Hey, Mononeko! Where the hell are ya?! I wanna go explore the rest of the campus!" he exclaimed, looking around; the "principal" popping out of nowhere had quickly become a norm for everyone, as she'd often approach us either answering a question, or just giving a snarky, despair-inducing comment that'd only make us feel worse about our situation.

"Ah, Sadiq, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea…" I muttered as I looked around the room nervously. It was a relatively empty classroom, like the one I'd woken up in, but I got the feeling it would soon not be as empty as it was-

"Yooo! Can this cool cat help its lovelies with something~?"

I sighed. _Too late._

"Huh? The other buildings?!" Mononeko replied with a look of surprise (again, I say a look of surprise, and it's a stuffed animal… Mononeko-chan is very hard to explain.) She suddenly pulled a microphone out from behind her. "So, Mr. Sadiq Adnan wants to go explore campus, huh? Weeelll, I'll let you all go, on one condition, that is! Can anyone guess what that condition is?!"

Right then, it was like the entire section of the school went quiet in a shared moment of disgust and sass.

"Wah! I'm giving you all F's for participation! That is, unless you finally kill someone, hehehe! That's it, all right! If you little kittens can finally start up my mutual killing game, I'll let you explore more, okay~? Do your best, I'm cheering for you all!"

With that, Mononeko waddled out of the room, leaving Sadiq and I in much less sociable moods.

I also met and talked to Sadiq's least favorite student, Herakles, after he'd complained about the student much; when being described to be, between curses and insults, the Turkish student had talked about how he was usually sleeping and was normally surrounded by cats before coming to the high school and in all of his photos online. I wondered what kind of involvement historian would have with having so many pet cats, and more importantly, why he was sleeping so much; I'd faintly wondered if it was because of stress or if he was getting depressed from being trapped in this school. I hadn't planned on confronting the Greek student until I'd run into him in the "Special" room.

He yawned. "Oh, you're… Sakura… right…?"

I nodded. Already I could tell that talking with this man would be fairly easy…

"Ah, that's interesting… Japanese history is one of my strong points… Sometimes I like to dress my cats up as samurai, you know…" he muttered quietly with a lonely look in his eyes, and I realized that this whole time he had never been around any cats; he must have not brought any. _Of course, the school probably doesn't allow pets…_

"Yes, samurai are a high point in my culture. By the way, um, what are your cats like, Herakles-san…?" I inquired, trying to make conversation in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

He smiled. "Soft, nice… Ahhh, I want to give them a belly rub now, too bad they aren't here…" The Greek student then turned to me. "Ah, I could just give Sakura a belly rub instead… I suppose…"

I blinked, my head slowly piecing together the words he'd just muttered, and jumped. "A-ah! Th-thank you very much, but n-no thanks! I'm m-more than okay! Excuse me!" Face now red, I shook both my hands in an expression of repeated denial. _Oh, jeez, what's with this guy!_

"Ehehehe, this is just like one of my bishounen mangas~!" came a familiar voice, and Mononeko walked up behind me. "How kawaaaaiiiiiii~~~deeesuuuuu~~~uuugguuuu~~~~!"

The animal began making all sorts of noises, and I felt as though it was my turn to run out of the room as fast as possible, the last thing I heard being "Oh Herakles-kun, I'll let you rub _my_ belly~!"

The sad truth was that I _wanted _this to be some typical manga full of bishounen guys. I wanted it to be a fantasy, or a very bad dream, or even an embarrassing prank pulled on me. But my "Super High School Level Good Luck" did not give me that privilege; that night, on the third day after our arrival, I finally let tears escape my eyes for the first time, and let down one of the many walls that made me the composed student I'd thought I was. This was real, this was happening, this was not a manga. The only thing I could rely on was that, maybe, just maybe, Alfred was right, and his elite military team was working to save us from this strangely secure school, that _something_ was being done outside to help us. However, considering Mononeko's lack of concern for that issue, Alfred tearing off his clothing to reveal a spandex super suit and punching through a wall and saving all of us seemed just as likely.


	3. Chapter 1 - Part 2

**This fic is just a nod to/crossover/parody between APH and Dangan Ronpa – I am in no way affiliated with either nor do I claim any of their property as mine. They respectively belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Spike Chunsoft.**

**A/N: **(part TWO yea man here we are here we are i did it . this one is Very Short but.i've finally got most of chapter 1 planned out and dont worry something exciting and _despair-inducing_ is coming Soon,,,, like next chapter i think. so stay tuned folks)

**Chapter 1 – Part 2**

**Later that evening…**

_Knock knock knock…_

I jumped as I heard the knock at my door, and immediately, my head snapped towards the direction the noise came from. _It's probably nothing… _I thought, hesitating before walking over to the door. I stood there for a minute, hand hovering at the handle. _Or… it could be something. Someone could have… cracked… someone could be trying to kill me, because I seem so weak and feeble…_

My head started to spin, and with it, my surroundings. _Killing. … I want to go home… I'm on an entire different continent than where my family is… What is my family doing…? Why haven't the police found us yet…? The American police, like in those movies…? What is Mononeko not telling us…?_

The ground flew towards me. I reached out for something to hold me up, but my hand only found the door handle, which turned as I grabbed it and did not stop me from crashing to the floor.

Head pounding, I blinked a few times. I could hear a voice. It wasn't one I'd heard very much. I thought back to the welcome ceremony. Was that… Gilbert? _There's another, too. It's Elizaveta. I wonder why… they're here._

When my headache calmed down and my vision cleared, I found myself seated on my own bed, positioned upright. Gilbert and Elizaveta were fussing about my room; because I'd only seen him once, briefly, my eyes followed the German boy. He was holding a cup of water. He was much leaner than I'd initially thought; skinny, even, for a Super High School Level Soldier. Despite his rather surprising appearance – red eyes, and all – he didn't seem to be behaving strangely. Elizaveta and him were both pacing around and exchanging hushed words. I was surprised by how familiar they seemed to be with each other, even though, upon asking Elizaveta, they were not actually friends outside of school. Eventually, we made eye contact, and he ran over, calling for the Hungarian student.

"Hey! Are you alright, Sakura?! Did someone poison you, or something? You were just sitting there blankly for a while!" Elizaveta asked excitedly, one hand on my shoulder.

I blinked again.

"Oioi, Sakura! Get a hold of yourself!" shouted Gilbert. Elizaveta hissed something at him and then grabbed the cup from his hand, offering it to me.

I took the cup from her, still silent, and took a sip. I'd just been acting polite by taking it, but the drink actually cleared my mind a lot. I lowered the cup and looked back up at the two students hovering over me expectantly.

"You two… are sort of like a married couple…!"

Both of them instantly went red. I wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment; probably both. They must've realized they couldn't take their frustration out on me, as they turned to each other and glared.

Elizaveta was the first to blurt out, "I-I'm only with this guy because if I'm not, he's gonna run off and do something reckless! I don't want anyone to die, even if it's a douchebag like Gil."

"Eh?! You still don't understand, do you?! I gotta get revenge on that damn Mononeko lady! That was humiliating! And I was out for a while, _and_ I had to rely on some _girl_ to keep me goin' until I was functional again!" Gilbert spat, crossing his arms defiantly. "…Liz is crazy, I'm telling ya! If I even go near that robot cat thing, she'll knock me out again, for sure!"

A smile passed over my face as they childishly bickered and threatened each other. It was almost like being in a normal school, with two normal classmates.

Eventually, they turned to me again. "So, who did this to you, anyway? If anyone in our class is _actually _considering… killing… we should probably have a talk with them…"

I frowned. "Who… a-ah, it was nobody…! I'm sorry to make you worry! Y-you see, it's fairly late, and I heard the knock at the door, and thought, maybe, someone was…"

Elizaveta's expression darkened. "Oh…"

There was a long pause before I blurted out, "So, Beilschmidt-san, did Elizaveta-san fill you in… on everything that's happened?"

The German lowered his face. "…Yeah. We thought we'd come here, since you seemed a little lonely, and I wanted to thank you for helping me out in the gym a few days ago. I tried getting that Greek dude to come out of his room so I could thank him, too, but he was snoozing, or something…"

"Ah…"

A heavy feeling filled the room. I felt as though my heart were being compressed in my chest. Darkness poured in from the door, which was left ajar. The steel plates covering the windows suddenly became extremely conspicuous. I wanted to ask them about so many things. What did they think of the police situation? Of possible rescues? What if us being trapped in this school started conflicts, or even wars, between the United States and other nations? This was a hostage situation, wasn't it?

"…I'm sorry… for falling over like that."

The gazes of the two students snapped back up at me. I summoned up all my willpower, and my expression hardened.

"I'm probably… the least prepared for a situation like this… Please do not let anyone else know about that incident. I might… be targeted…" My voice failed me. What if the rest of the class _did_ find out I'd practically fainted at the _thought_ of a murderer coming after me? It would make me an easy kill. All they'd have to do is scare me into submission, and then…

A worse thought passed my mind. What if Elizaveta or Gilbert were planning a murder? All this time, I'd tried to trust in my classmates, but in reality I'd never even met Gilbert up until now. His specialization was Soldier. He was _trained _in survival-type situations.

"…Hey, Sakura, don't be like that, please." Elizaveta said with a slight smile. "It seems like… falling into despair is exactly what Mononeko wants us to do. He wants us to rot here in fear, or to kill each other off, right?"

I glanced at her. She had an awfully courageous look in her eyes; the same feisty flare that was present while she'd been attacking Gilbert was back.

"Just remember… None of us were ready for a situation like this! It may not look like it, but I'm really scared right now, as well! What's important is staying collected and trying to survive, right? Besides, your talent is 'Lucky!' There's no way you'd ever get killed!"

Gilbert and I stared at Elizaveta with wide eyes. Despite the simplicity to her statement, the message was clear; even if they didn't know much about their situation, it's not like they could just lose all hope. It was an awfully cliché speech, and yet, my mood was thoroughly improved.

"…R-right, Elizaveta-san! You've got that right!" I replied, laughing lightly. Gilbert still stared at the green-eyed student with awe in his expression.

She grabbed my hand and shook it. "Well, then, I'm Elizaveta Hedervary, Super High School Level Swimmer! It's nice to meet you, Honda Sakura! You seem like a very strong-minded individual!" she then wrapped an arm around Gilbert, and her tone changed from ladylike to tomboyish. "Beilschmidt here's a Super High School Level Soldier! He's not very strong-minded, judging from how he passed out during the opening ceremony! Haha!"

"Gaah – let me go, let me go!"

I laughed along. "T-thank you…! My talent is 'Super High School Level Good Luck'…! It's very nice to meet you, Elizaveta Hedervary, Gilbert Beilschmidt!"

And so, I'd made two friends. It was nice. Watching them argue, being the third wheel – it got my mind off of everything. Elizaveta had quickly become an icon for me. As they headed for the door, I silently vowed to strengthen myself and to become less feeble; to become like the Hungarian student. Being weak, not trusting my friends, letting the despair get to me, thinking of myself as a target – they were all useless thoughts. All of my fellow students were kids, just like me, no matter how much more talented they may be than I, and were just as afraid as I was, even if they didn't show it.

"By the way, Beilschmidt, Elizaveta…" I spoke up, standing in the doorway. The two turned to me. "…You can tell everyone about my passing out, I suppose. It definitely won't happen again, anyway…!"

Though the hallway was very dark, the wide grins on each of the student's faces were visible. "Great!"

I closed my door, and, with a smile, sat down on my bed. Not too long after their departure, Mononeko's voice blared through the speakers above my door, and her image appeared on the screen, announcing that it was night time.

"_Oyasume_, Elizaveta, Beilschmidt. I promise… I won't be a burden any longer."

/

im horrible at writing japanese characters im sorry. in my own defense japan is canonly an otaku


	4. Chapter 1 - Part 3

**This fic is just a nod to/crossover/parody between APH and Dangan Ronpa – I am in no way affiliated with either nor do I claim any of their property as mine. They respectively belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Spike Chunsoft.**

**A/N: **here we are again aah hhhhhh there's a killing this chapter! yeehaw zetsubou exTREEEMEEEE

Chapter 1 Part 3

"Nyaa~ haa~ nyaa nyaaaa~! Good morning, sweeties!"

I slowly came to as Mononeko greeted us through the monitors. For the first time since I'd got here, I'd slept well.

I promptly got to my feet and pulled on clothes. Despite how oppressive the school was, my room wasn't that bad. There was a bonsai tree near the door, a Japanese flag hanging on one wall, a bookshelf with a mix of old poems and newer manga series, and even a few photos of my family. It felt like home, despite being located in the North American quarter of the school. Even so, the room was obviously more based off of the American stereotype of Japanese culture. The wallpaper was an obnoxious pattern of sakura blossom trees, and hanging behind my bed were three sheathed katanas. _Still, it feels like home away from home… I wonder why Mononeko would actually want us to feel comfortable and happy in our bedrooms…_

Shaking my head, I exited my room and started wandering the halls. Everything was brighter now; it seemed the strength of the lights shifted with the time of the day.

I made my way towards the café, finding it odd that there wasn't one other student in the hall. _Did I really wake up that late? It can't be more than 20 minutes after the morning announcement._ I stopped dead in my tracks. _Maybe… there was… No, I don't think so._

I heard a faint noise in the opposite direction and decided to follow it, hoping to find anyone – even Francis – so that I could inquire as to where the rest of the class was.

Upon finding the source of the noise, that was no longer necessary.

I opened the doors of the gym to find what I assumed was everyone gathered in there, all doing different activities. Some were running laps, others doing pushups, and Herakles and Arthur were sprawled out on the floor, panting.

"Um… What is… going on he-"

"SAKURA! Thank God!" Chun-Yan came running towards me, and I no sooner found myself being clung to by the wailing Chinese student. "That crazy Blitzkrieg finally woke up, and now he's ordering us around!"

I blinked. _Blitzkrieg…? She doesn't mean…_

The girl tugged me further into the gym by the arm until we approached a group of students surrounding what looked like… A rope?

"Hey hey, there's no way I'm doing something like this! One of us could get seriously injured!"

"Yeah! Activities like this could seriously mess up my beautiful physique, you brute!"

I walked up to Sadiq, who looked just as frustrated as everyone else in the circle. "Uh, Adnan, do you know what's going on? Why is everyone… exercising?!"

He spun around. "That crazy German dude just went to everyone's door and banged on it until we woke up! Then he told us all to go to the gym! It was pretty scary! I was the first one here, of course, because I know the fastest route. But it's still ridiculous! Now he wants us to-"

"HEY, YOU BASTARDS! Stop sitting around and complaining or I'll come down there and make you run just like I did with those other guys!" Gilbert barked from above. I craned my neck; there he was, arms grasping one of the thick ropes from the closet, legs wrapped around it, a sour expression on his face.

A sigh escaped my mouth. _So, that's the kind of person Beilschmidt is…_

"Hey now, stop complaining, everyone! I can assure y'all activities like this are perfectly safe! Trust me, hahaha!" Alfred shouted, standing at the bottom of the rope Gilbert was at, almost like a guard. "Besides, if you can't even climb a lousy rope, how are you gonna rise up and fight against Mononeko?!"

"I'll rise up and fight when I want to, not at this hour in the morning!" came a shout from a different part of the gym; it was, of course, Arthur.

"You know, the view isn't too bad from here, to be honest." Chun-Yan muttered with a sly look, one hand on her brow as to block out light. "I'd like to sell him some products, if you know what I mean."

"W-Wang!" Xiao Mei exclaimed. There was a cry of pain from the Chinese student, and then quiet. I stifled a laugh.

It then occurred to me that there was one student missing from the gym. My eyes widened. _Where is Elizaveta?_

"I'm here! Out of the way!"

As if on queue, the Hungarian student pushed and shoved her way through the group of kids at an alarming speed. There was an audible gasp from Gilbert, who had just finished tying the second rope to the rafters on the ceiling.

Alfred went flying to the ground before he could object. "Hey, you! What the hell are you doing, gathering everyone here?! Not all of us are goddamn soldiers!"

"A-ah! Elizaveta! It's essential that a healthy sleeping schedule is maintained, even in this kind of situation-" he paused, jumping to the other secured rope as the girl came barreling up his own, "and I won't tolerate people slacking off when they could be helping us find a way out of here- AAH!"

In a matter of seconds, Gilbert was sprawled out on the ground, groaning in pain, and Elizaveta was standing next to him, hands on her hips, after gracefully gliding down the rope and back to the floor.

"Slacking off? Who the hell do you think you are?" she interrogated with an intimidating glare.

And so, the two began their usual aggressive arguing. I smiled gingerly and headed for the exit of the gym. _Better this than something worse, I suppose._

Most of the other students had stayed in the gym to watch the previously-ruthless Gilbert get beat up by Elizaveta, so I was alone in the café, deep in thought. It was while I was thinking that I noticed it; a voice, coming from… the kitchen?

Curious and slightly anxious, I made my way into the two-way doors in-between the American counter and the Canadian counter. Inside the entrance, I found who else but Feliciano Vargas curled up in a ball, leaning against the stove, tears running down his cheeks. He immediately looked at me, and fear filled his auburn eyes. It was a very pitiful sight.

"H-hey, Vargas-san, I… I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay." I told him in the nicest-sounding voice I could muster. "I-er… is there something wrong?"

He looked down and curled up into an even tighter ball. Upon getting closer, I noticed he was also shivering.

"I-is it the food? If you don't want to make it, that's okay. I would be pleased to take your place, though I cannot assure you my cooking will be as good as… yours…" _That was stupid, Sakura. It's not the food… He's probably just experiencing what I felt last night… Complete despair._

I crouched down next to him. I knew I was no good in this kind of situation, but I had to at least try; if I could at least get his permission for me to pick up breakfast where he had left off…

"I… I'm scared, Sakura… It's been a few d-days now… Nobody has come to save us…" came a quiet, raspy voice from the pile of cloth next to me. "W-what if… Mononeko, she might be right… Nobody might be coming to save us."

I gulped. "F-Feliciano, I… Don't w-worry, that's what she wants us to feel. We have to be strong, though…!"

Another sob came from the Italian. My stomach twisted. "Y-you say that, b-but… it's just…"

He raised his head up. Feliciano was almost a completely different person without his usual cheer. After a deep breath, he muttered, "I tried… so hard, the past few days, to make everyone happy. I tried to stay positive, Sakura, and said all those encouraging things when everyone was down… I even tried… to make the best food I could, with the ingredients I was given, so that everyone would smile and stop being so gloomy all the time…!"

I could almost predict what he was about to say, simply because it'd been obvious ever since our situation had been explained to us, that…

"…in reality, I really was just saying all of those things… so everyone would feel safer. It's just… I'm so homesick, and my room reminds me of my home, and there's even a picture of my _fratello _in there… I-I can't even sleep when I'm in there, s-so I come in the kitchen and start cooking breakfast late at night, but then I feel worse because I'm breaking the agreement t-to not go outside of our rooms at night time…"

I felt sick. I wanted to go get Elizaveta, so maybe she could cheer up the young cook.

"Y-you know, _felice_ means happy in Italian… My brother always used to tell me I was a worthless bastard, but he really did love me, and sometimes he'd just call me Felice in normal conversations, because I always cheered him up." That was all the little Italian could muster. He retreated back into his arms, muttering a quiet apology.

I sat there for a long minute, watching with a blank look as he kept sobbing into his arms. I'd been hit with sudden realization; although I managed to overcome and forget about that lurking feeling of hopelessness in the back of my mind, not everyone could. Homesickness, combined with the mood of this school… it was too much for some people, and Feliciano was one of them. I remembered the vow I'd made, and repeated it silently to myself once again. _I will not turn out like Feliciano. Even if I am not able to help people like him… I will not become him._

Eventually, I heard movement in the café outside, and reluctantly stood up, finished cooking to the best of my ability what Feliciano had started, and, without another word, carried it out to serve it.

"Maan, thanks! I was so hungry, haha!"

"_Oui, _I agree. All of that labor gave my tummy the rumblies! Oh, _merci_, Sakura~"

"You bloody idiot, you didn't even do anything! _I_ was the one that almost passed out from doing laps! That goddamn kraut, I'm not a soldier like he is!"

"I suppose you could say, "I'm a magician, not a soldier!", hehe!"

"AAAH! Xiao Mei, you're being too cute! That's not allowed!"

And so, it was breakfast as usual. Everyone was awake and talking to each other as I served the food. It was unpleasantly surprising; nobody noticed that Feliciano was not passing out the food, nobody asked me what had happened… They all swam in their own ignorance, and I couldn't blame them. As I stoically passed out the last few plates, I came to realize that such a distraction like the one Gilbert made got their minds off the real problem, ironically enough.

_They really are just kids. I'm just a kid. Then… why… why are we stuck in such a situation…_

"Hey, Sakura!"

A loud, more positive voice pulled me back into reality. I looked up, eyebrows raised. My hands were still glued to the last plate.

"You gonna give me my plate, or what? Haha!"

It was Alfred. He fixed his glasses as I stood there dumbly. He radiated optimism and hope; it was amazing.

It reminded me of Feliciano.

And I looked straight at Alfred's grinning guise, and, though it must be buried under many other things, I knew he, too, had that feeling of despair gnawing at his thoughts.

_Even Feliciano. Even _Alfred.

"Uhh, Sakura?!"

I jumped. "O-oh, I'm very sorry! Really! Here is your meal!"

The American student quickly took the plate from my hands, set it on the table, and began flying through it. I stood there, motionless, for a minute, and shook my head again, mentally scolding myself for thinking so negatively. I was done serving the food; the café had quieted down some due to food being in the student's mouths. I looked down at my small bowl of soup. _Maybe eating will help clear my mind._

"Gee, what's with that face?! Cheer up!" Alfred told me, scooting over a little so there was room for me to sit down. "Since neither of us has a breakfast buddy, you can sit here! That way I can definitely cheer you up!"

I made an exasperated expression, but it was true. Elizaveta and Gilbert were probably still duking it out in the gym, or something. With slight hesitation, I took a seat. "Thank you."

Alfred went back to eating, and, from a mouthful of food, gave a "Nhh prhhbln!"

And so, I ate lunch with Jones. It must've been quite the humorous sight; the well-built, excited American boy eating at an unhealthy speed, next to the frailer and ridiculously-well-mannered Japanese girl quietly sipping her soup. We talked about a few things; my talent, his talent, his favorite food, how he'd save everyone, and even a few lame jokes on Alfred's part. It took me just one conversation to get an idea of what the Super High School Level Hero's personality was like.

I thought he was annoying.

However, I also thought he needed a friend, because his optimism reminded me with much fear of Feliciano Vargas. I wanted to inquire as to how he was _really _doing, but I thought it'd be inappropriate, seeing as we'd hardly ever talked to each other.

"So, anyway, Sakura! Why were you all depressed when you brought out the food, anyway?" There was the question. I almost choked on the soup I was drinking.

"I-er… You… noticed that?"

He grinned. "Duh! I was watching you the whole time, since you had the food! Come to think of it, shouldn't Feliciano have hand the food…?!"

His questioning was almost suspicious, but I knew Alfred wasn't the plotting-murder type of guy, so I responded in a hushed tone, "…Feli-kun is…not feeling well."

A frown.

"What do you mean?"

I met Alfred's gaze. _Was I just imagining that…?_ It was almost like his tone had changed. He had a more serious look in his eyes.

"I, it was just… Feliciano is feeling down." I repeated obediently.

The blonde frowned and looked down.

The chatter in the lunch room had now quieted down some, as many students had already left to start their days. I felt uncomfortable. _What is he thinking…?_

And then there was another grin. "Well, show me him, I'm sure I can cheer him up, ahahaha!"

My stomach twisted. The last thing I wanted to do – though it was probably the right thing to do, as well – was go back in that kitchen, and to face the sight of the poor, silly Italian curled up on the ground in a ball of despair.

Alfred definitely wouldn't help. He'd just bring Feliciano down even more. I could tell. But…

I looked at the kid. He looked so hopeful, so willing to help… and that seriousness he'd had only a moment ago… it only made me guess that the Super High School Level Hero, too, was going through something similar to the Cook, and that he might feel reassured about his own doubts if he told Feliciano it was going to be okay…?

I narrowed my eyes. _Shit… there's no way Alfred could be in the same mental state as Feliciano just a day ago. Don't tell me… he's at his breaking point, too?_

The American's gaze had gone from dorkish to needy. I looked at him, now, with pity, and a little disgust.

_He really thinks trying and failing to comfort Feliciano will quell his despair, huh…_ I turned my face away from him. "I'm sorry, Jones-san, but I cannot do that. I will not try and stop you from visiting Feli-kun, but I refuse to join you. Excuse me."

I stood up, bowed curtly, and exited the lunch room without looking back. I wouldn't be able to bear it. I'd managed to distract myself from the hopelessness of this situation; watching Alfred try and coax Feliciano as well as his inner demons… it wasn't worth it.

I locked myself in my room the rest of the day, lying motionless in my bed, going over the conversation with Alfred in my head over and over again; everything I'd said, everything he'd said, every expression he'd made…

Perhaps my departure was rude. Unexpected for someone like me. Was I changing? Coming out of my shy shell, that was part of the reason I'd wanted to go to this school, wasn't it?

The "night time" announcement came on. I stared blankly at the wall to the left of my bed, at the dumb, obnoxious wallpaper. Yes, it wasn't pretty at all. It was sickening. I would not sugar-coat it, or put it through a polite filter. The wallpaper was ugly.

After so many hours of thinking about that American student, I still had no opinion about him, besides a feeling of pity; though he'd never admit it or try to show it, I could tell Alfred Jones had never felt so much despair in his life, and had no idea what to do with it.

"Nyaa~ haa~ nyaa nyaaaa~! Good morning, sweeties!"

My head was cloudy, as though all of the emotions from the previous day had evaporated into thick vapor that made thinking too hard about anything difficult. With the lethargy of a ghost, I floated about my room. It didn't take long; I'd fallen asleep still wearing my uniform.

Drifting into the hallway, I initially started for the cafeteria. Somewhere deep down, I was curious about whether Alfred had actually succeeded in getting the wimpy Italian off the floor. The corridors were particularly empty, again, though I supposed it was because the announcement for morning had just been made.

Upon turning the corner for which the hall with the cafeteria was located, I found Michelle and Francis blocking my way, in the middle of what I assumed was a heated argument.

"Um… excuse me," I muttered quietly, so as to not sound forceful to either one. Despite Francis being rather passive, I was still intimidated; especially with his gutsy friend (?) beside him.

"Do you really think something like that is necessary in a situation like this?!" the girl shouted, clearly having snapped. I was shocked; Michelle was usually very cool-headed.

Francis cowered a little. "I-it's my talent! I can't help it! _Amour_ is just something I naturally require, like most people do food and shelter, _oui_!"

"Um… I'm sorry, you two, but could y-"

My sentence was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

Francis and Michelle both stopped mid-sentence, heads snapping in the direction of the sudden noise. They must have noticed me standing there, but took no interest in me.

I blinked a few times, and followed their gazes. It seemed to have come from the gym.

My mind exploded with worry. The clouds in my head became gusts, whirling around in circles.

It was Francis who spoke up first. "H-huh… I didn't know… Gilbert was doing training two days in a row…"

"Y-yeah, you'd… you'd think he'd have learned his lesson from Eliza-chan, right…?" Michelle responded, voice betraying her.

They stood their, glued to the ground, silent. Meanwhile, my feet moved on their own. I started walking towards the gym, almost subconsciously. _It's just Gilbert. He's just being an idiot again. Elizaveta will have it out for him this time,_ I told the butterflies in my stomach. _Still, I should check on them, to make sure… nobody gets severely injured in their battle…_

The door to the gym loomed over me intimidatingly. A foreboding aura seeped out of its crevices. A voice in the back of my mind repeated in a monotone voice: "Don't open it. Don't open it. Don't open it."

I placed one hand on the door. It was cold. I shivered for the first of many times that day.

And, with the little bit of willpower left into me, I pushed it open, and stepped inside.

A rope.

A body hanging from said rope.

A limp body.

The body in which I had seen shaking feebly in the kitchen the previous day.

Feliciano Vargas' pale, still body.

That was all.


	5. Chapter 1 - Part 4 - Enter Abnormal Days

**This fic is just a nod to/crossover/parody between APH and Dangan Ronpa – I am in no way affiliated with either nor do I claim any of their property as mine. They respectively belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Spike Chunsoft.**

A/N: yea so! Investigation staruto

im tryin g to like make it as similar to how the games' investigations worked pls bear with me. Also short Alfred point of view in the beginning of this chapter,,,

sorry if like I dont know someone's OOC in this one its hard to write characters because hetalia never has psychological/horrible/whatever stuff like this h appeN?yeah

also: _**"hint/bullet Gets" will be written like this**_. yea if u havent played the game idk this may be confusing but yEAH they're like keywords/phrases used for school trials

Chapter 1 Part 4*

Alfred collapsed into his bed, sighing heavily. Feliciano had been an eyesore. At first, he'd tried to stay positive, telling the kid everything would be okay and he shouldn't give up hope; but after that failed, he'd actually had a heart-to-heart with him. Jones admitted he'd been acting the same way, trying to bring everyone's moods up, while in reality there was an enormous, lurking feeling of despair in the back of his mind, for many reasons.

He'd even let Feliciano in on his secret; his secret that nobody was supposed to know, he had decided, out of worry and suspicion, his secret he was only going to tell a student that he trusted; and so far, because most of the other kids avoided him completely for whatever reason, no trustworthy friend had shown up.

Sakura had seemed like a good person. She was quiet, perhaps the opposite of Alfred; but the boy, for once, looked deeper, and felt that she was simply a caring, kind soul thrown into a horrible situation. Of all the students, she'd been the one to find Feliciano there, and even tried to comfort him. But he'd blown it, asking for her to join him in trying to cheer the other boy up, and surely had come off as obnoxious and stupid… and more importantly, probably one of the first victims, should the killing game escalate…

He swallowed. _No, I won't allow that…!_ _I won't let anyone here die! I am… Super High School Level "Hero", after all._ Curling up under his covers, Alfred thought back to the first day of "school". Telling everyone it was okay. Some had gingerly appreciated it, some not so much. Arthur had given him an eye-opening lecture about how, even if he was a class clown before coming to World's Hope Academy, things like that "would be bloody outrageous and downright disappointing" now, given the situation. The American student had just brushed off the Englishman's words at the time, but when he'd returned to his dorm, the weight of his words sank in.

Not only was their situation troublesome, but it would require Alfred to change as a person, he'd realized with frustration. This was real. And in order to survive something like this, in order to leave… yes, because he _had _to get out. No matter what. People needed him… In order to do this, he would have to stay sharp, and aware of the mood. As a laid back, live-your-life kind of guy, Alfred Jones was required to become high-strung.

And so, for one day, the American had decided to "sense the mood", and to put himself in the other students' shoes, and gotten nothing but despair in return. Especially with Feliciano. Alfred could see right through the friendly Italian's sweet smile; mostly because he'd been doing the same thing.

And so, on the fifth day, Alfred woke up in a good mood, the previous night an afterthought, with hope on his mind. It'd almost been a week. His country must be doing _something_ to help. Even if a few captive kids wasn't enough, an American citizen like him being trapped by some kind of terrorist group… it must be enough to catch the nation's attention…

And so, Alfred Jones did not expect to go into the halls a good fifteen or so minutes after the morning bell to find them empty and silent. He didn't expect the café to be empty, either. He knocked on Sakura Honda's door, and called out a few times, to no success, and even tried banging on Arthur Kirkland's door, only to find the same outcome. He was about to shrug it off and go eat breakfast, when he heard voices. A number of voices; some were hushed and barely audible, others were… tearful. Alfred turned towards the gym, deciding to see who was hanging out in there at this hour in the morning, expecting Gilbert (who didn't seem like that bad a guy, either, but nonetheless Alfred was fairly intimidated by him).

He was not surprised to see Feliciano Vargas' cold, still corpse hanging from a rope inside the gymnasium.

I'd been standing for what felt like hours, unmoving, one hand cupping my mouth, when I became aware that all of the other students were now gathered in the gymnasium. The gears in my head slowly began turning again, the static noise died down enough for me to hear what the people around me were saying, and my limbs and joints seemed to unlock, allowing movement again. The first thing I realized was that I was crying. I was not sobbing, or wailing, but there were many tears rolling down my cheeks. I _wanted_ to sob and wail, and to collapse to the ground, but I hardened myself and forced my eyes away from the corpse.

I took a look around. Yes, everyone was here, and everyone seemed to be reacting in a similar way; gawking at the sight, pale, wide-eyed…

Alfred was standing closest to me. His reaction wasn't as severe as the rest, but I hardly took note of it. I stared at him for a little while, hoping that maybe he'd give me that comforting grin and that the dumb, silly shine in his eyes would appear, but it didn't. Eventually, he turned to me with an unreadable expression.

"S… Sakura… Are you… okay…?"

At the time, I didn't realize how different Alfred was already acting, and frankly, I didn't care. However, just to be polite, I replied to his exceedingly stupid question.

"I…" the words caught in my throat, and I paused a moment, taking a deep breath so as to remember how to speak and form words. "I am fine… Feliciano-kun… He…"

I placed one hand on my head, not daring to look back up at the Italian student's corpse out of the fear that the events of the previous day might flash through my mind again.

"Gee, how rude are you all, anyways? I said, a body's been found! A short time period will be given for investigation, and then we'll start our trial~!" Mononeko's voice echoed across the gym.

The announcement seemed to have brought everyone back into reality. I heard Xiao Mei and Chun-Yan denying what was before them, before breaking into tears, and I noticed Francis with his head in his hands sitting down on the bleachers, Sadiq yelling at Herakles that he was probably behind this in a fit of anger, Arthur screaming once again and backing into a wall, Michelle falling to the ground weeping, Elise staring downwards with a blank expression, Marguerite fleeing from the gymnasium altogether, and even Ivan, who I'd had presumed to be quite stoic and not quick to fear, staring with a wary and unnerved look on his face.

"…Yeah, I'm alright…" came a ghostly voice from the other side of me. Surprisingly, it was Elizaveta's; I wasn't used to hearing her talk in such a weak tone.

Gilbert was eyeing her. "Fuck… There's no way… Something like this would happen… And to Feli, too…"

Everything was moving very, very slowly again, and I felt faint, faint enough to pass out, even. Unfortunately, I was not given that privilege. Mononeko was no sooner standing before us, with that dumb look on her face.

"W-what's wrong, everyone?! You gotta be tougher than this, if you're gonna succeed in the trial! Cmon now, cheer up, I'm rooting for you guys~!"

Gilbert was the first to speak up. "You fuckin' stupid plushie! What the hell did you do to Feliciano?! He was a good kid!"

Mononeko only giggled. "Gilbeeeert! Don't give yourself away so easily!"

The German gasped, but shut up; glancing at him, I was sure Mononeko had only said that to bother him, but still…

"…M…Mononeko… I have reason to believe… that this isn't a murder… what… what happens during the trial, if this is… a suicide?" I forced each word from my mouth, trying my hardest to stay strong.

The stuffed cat turned to me with a look resembling shock. "My, my! Look at you, all grown up already, coming out of your shy shell!"

I flinched, taking a step back.

"Anyways, it doesn't make sense to make assumptions, does it? _Do_ you know that this is a suicide? And don't put this on me, your _gracious_ host! I'm the one who made all this fun possible, you know~!" she told me in a sarcastic tone. "Now, now, I already went over how this works, but since I know we have some students that are 'behind,' I'll go over it again~! Everyone has a period of time to go over the scene of the murder and pretend to be on a cool American crime show and stuff, and then I'll call everyone to a very special room where we hold school trials! After my sweets argue and bicker over who did the deed, we'll hold a voting session – this is a democracy, you know~! – and if the majority vote is who _actually_ committed this heinous and downright _mean_ crime, Mamma Mononeko will hold an execution for them! But if the wrong one of you darlings is chosen…" Mononeko then made a gesture which I could only assume meant something along the lines of, "All of your throats will be slit open, hehe!"

"I hope you all heard me loud and clear, this time!" she announced in a booming voice before heading to the doorway. "Well, see you later, alligators~!"

Everything began to collapse around me. Students panicked. "What if we choose the wrong one…?" "This is a suicide, right…?! It's obvious!" "But that cat… she made it sound like it wasn't…!" "Who the hell has the heart to kill someone like Feliciano?!" "I was right, I was right… I really can't trust anyone here… Shit…"

I took a deep breath, gave myself a moment to reestablish my aura of stoicism… and turned to Alfred, who, in previous situations, had taken the lead.

"Alfred-kun… What are your thoughts?" I asked in the most professional-sounding voice I could muster.

He turned to me, a wary look in his eyes; much different from the goofy one I'd seen ever since we'd been trapped in the school. "…I… I'm sorry, Sakura, but I don't think I can do much for everyone, right now…" The American sounded downtrodden, depressed, and even guilty. "Something like this could happen again… I guess… it's best if I just don't interfere, right?"

With a brief, half-hearted smile and forced laugh, Alfred walked off in the opposite direction and out of the room, with very little meaning in his steps. I was shocked, but knew there was a time limit to the investigation and shook my head, focusing on what was important, seeing as hardly anyone else was.

_If Alfred doesn't want to bring everyone into a team, fine. I… I'll do this myself. Feliciano was… my friend, after all. I didn't know him very well, but… I'll definitely… find out who was behind this._

I approached my second choice, Gilbert. I was much more intimidated by him, and I didn't know him as well as I knew Alfred, but he seemed to have a hold of himself. In addition to that, he was a Super High School Level Soldier; he must be more accustomed to death than the rest of us.

He didn't notice me when I first approached, as he was casting a careful gaze at Elizaveta, who had gone over to the bleachers and taken a seat.

"Um… Beilschmidt-san-"

The albino whirled around to face me. "Oh, Honda. Really, drop the formalities, Gilbert's fine."

I nodded. "…Gilbert… Are you planning on taking part… in the investigation…?"

His rather carefree expression hardened. "Well, _ja_, of course. I guess you're not spaced out, like most of everyone else. That's good. I won't have to do this alone!"

My gaze moved over to the seated Hungarian girl. "Will… will Elizaveta be joining us, do you think…?"

A deep frown found its way onto the German's face. "Hm… doubt it."

With that curt reply, he moved over towards Feliciano's body, and I followed him, summoning up enough willpower from within me to deal with the obstacle that was my friend's corpse.

"Right. I'm used to situations like this, sorta, but I specialize in warfare, not detective junk and what not… so I'll need your… help, here, Honda, alright?" the student standing opposite to me said in a nervous voice. I figured he was a pretty independent guy that didn't have to ask for assistance much… Something like that made me feel as though the bar for impressing Gilbert was even higher. Even so, I nodded.

He nodded back. "Right, so. I'll work on getting his body down, somehow… You just worry about clues or signs that this was or wasn't a… suicide… In the meantime, maybe some other classmates will get a fucking hold of themselves and help us. Tch,"

With that, he was was off towards the utility closet, leaving me with the ghostly Feliciano.

I slowly craned my neck upwards, swallowing. Something changed in me, then. There was a click, and it was almost audible. There was sudden realization, or awareness, or something like that. Up until now, my mind had been like a fairly empty canvas, with nothing but a simple, neat pink orchid painted on top of it. Getting a full, close-up view of the Super High School Level Cook's body, however, caused black paint, red paint, blue paint, paint of all colors to splat all over the neat orchid design, ruining it, mixing with one another, causing complete disarray. I closed my eyes before I could look at his half-lidded eyes, taking another deep breath, letting the spilled paint on my canvas settle and dry; and I opened them. I met Feliciano's dull, glazed gaze.

To be honest, they didn't look very different from the day before.

My eyes moved off them. His neck was the first point of investigation. I pulled out my Student ID, remembering that Mononeko had mentioned updating the student's profiles with details about their deaths, and read through Feliciano's_**. The cause of death was given; a broken neck.**_ It was indeed due to him hanging himself… then… this was a suicide, wasn't it…?

_I have to look closer. I have to be sure,_ I thought with determination, circling around his body. My eyes moved upwards.

_**The rope used to hang him… it's the same one that was previously hanging in the gym, from when Gilbert was giving his training.**_

Next, something directly below Feliciano caught my attention; was that… a necklace?

Yes. It was a crucifix necklace; I'd noticed on the first day that he wore one around his neck. I frowned. _Feliciano-kun… he really was innocent, and had good intentions… why did this have to happen to him…?_

I still wondered why it was lying on the ground, instead of around his neck. I tucked it into my pocket, taking a mental note. _**Feliciano's necklace was lying below his corpse, on the ground.**_

There wasn't much else to see from where I was standing, at least not until Gilbert had come up with a way to lower Feliciano's corpse. I surveyed the gym again; **it was massive. **_**Surely, if you were standing at one side of the gym, you wouldn't be able to see the other side. **_Something then jumped out at me, something extremely obvious; _**the bleachers were pulled out.**_ I was almost positive they hadn't been pulled out beforehand; when everyone had been gathered before by Gilbert to 'train', the only place people had been sitting was on the ground.

I had to make sure, though, so I reluctantly made my way back over to the entrance area. Some students looked better, but some were still a wreck; Arthur was now, surprisingly, squatting besides Michelle with one hand on her back, Herakles was sleeping (again), and Francis was trying to help Xiao Mei and Chun-Yan. To my surprise, Elise seemed to be looking rather attentive, so I approached her.

"Ah, excuse me… Elise?" I bowed. "I'm sorry to bother you, if you're still feeling unwell, I understand, but I just had a question…"

She looked at me. Her expression was unusually calm. "Oh, Sakura…! What is it? If I can help in any way… Please let me."

I let myself smile a little. At least someone was back on their feet. "It's about.. the bleachers. Do you remember if they were opened up, yesterday?"

The girl known as a Weapons Specialist turned to either side, staring for a moment. "…Actually, I do not remember them being open. I was in here yesterday, training alone with some of the weapons from the American History room…"

I blinked.

"Oh!" the girl gasped. "I… That sounds very suspicious, d-doesn't it?! I-I was only interested in how they operated, since they're authentic! Please don't think poorly of me!"

Raising an eyebrow, I nodded and headed towards the bleachers on the left side of the gymnasium, making a mental note of _**Elise's testimony**_. Elizaveta was hunched over in the corner, staring at the ground. I hated myself for doing so, but I pushed her state to the back of my mind; comforting had to wait… and I had no idea how to comfort someone I'd been looking up to _for _comfort this whole time. It was discouraging.

The bleachers looked fairly normal to me. They were wooden and in good shape. I walked along the lower section before moving upward, until I was standing on the second-to-last bench. That's when I noticed – _**the uppermost sections are covered in dust. **_It was hard to tell how long ago they were last used, but it was clear that nobody had sat on the bleachers long enough for a noticeable amount of dust to accumulate. I continued walking. _Bleachers… If Feliciano's murder was not a suicide, as impossible as it seems… then…_

The thought went nowhere, but I still made my way to the set of bleachers on the other side of the room and climbed to the top row.

And there, directly to the left of Feliciano's body, were _**the lightest traces of footprints among the collected dust.**_ It wasn't obvious what direction they were headed, or what the mystery person was doing climbing on top of the bleachers, but the evidence was there.

_Even with these clues… nothing makes any more sense._ Just as worry was taking the reins, there was a shout from below, and Gilbert was running back towards the middle of the gym. I hurried back down and met him below the body.


	6. Chapter 1 - Part 5 - Abnormal Days 2

**A/N:** So yeah here's Part 5?

big thanks to the anon that corrected me on the strangling/neck thing! I didn't actually read the review until I was pretty far through this chapter but it's very helpful and I should definitely study up before I write these haha

also, in case I didn't say this already sorry for any possible discrepancies/inconsistence/errors (in storyline or medical errors like the neck one) or whatever! (I've been molding around the plot and the setting of the school a lot in my head) (I also went back and switched one of the student's names that was wrong in the prologue)

(also doodled some dr-style desings for japan and prussia and mononeko (they're on my profile? I guess ff has a thing against posting links in fics but yeah if anyone was wondering they're there))

I might write a few "free-time-event" like things after this, just because I feel like the only "developed" characters are like, Japan and Prussia and Hungary and maybe America, and writing everyone is still pretty hard since a lot of these characters never interact in canon haha (writing Taiwan was especially difficult! Sorry if she or anyone else is OOC!)

Anyways thanks for coping with my poopy writing so far? and this rly long authors note Um

here's chapter 5 (6?)

A tall, steel ladder stood next to Feliciano Vargas' body. Gilbert had climbed it, and was promptly cutting through the rope with a knife retrieved from the artifact room. Standing next to me was Elizaveta, who, to an extent, had recovered. Her eyes were still glossy with unshed tears, but she held a determined expression and stood straight.

I wanted to assist Gilbert in… well, whatever he was doing… but he seemed very focused. Just when I was about to inquire as to if he found anything important, the German spoke:

"His neck."

I blinked, and heard Elizaveta shift beside me. "…His… neck…?"

There was a grim look on Gilbert's face. "Yeah, it's…" He then pulled out his ID card, played with it for a minute as we watched expectantly, and then nodded.

"Gilbert… what's so significant about his neck? That was the cause of death, right? He hung himself. It broke-"

The Hungarian was interrupted by Gilbert's dismissal. "Uh, sorry, you guys, but I should check this out for a second…! After all, I'm a soldier, so I'm experienced in… this kind of thing… anyways, it might take a minute for me to figure this out, so… Just go try and slap sense into the others or somethin', alright?!"

I was taken aback. What had he found that was so befuddling? Why couldn't he tell us…? However, Elizaveta actually nodded and walked off in the other direction, so I decided to let the German do his "work" in peace and follow her.

Once we were a few yards away from the center of the gym, Elizaveta glanced at me with an unreadable look in her eyes. "Sakura, why don't you let me talk to the others? You seem a lot more observant, so I think it'd be best if you looked for clues while we still have time."

It seemed plausible enough, though I got the feeling the girl also wanted to avert her mind from anything related to murder the best she could. With a tad of pity welling up in my chest, I nodded in agreement. "Be careful."

I wasn't sure where to look first. As far as I knew, nobody else was even involved in this murder… but Mononeko had seemed to imply otherwise.

The halls were empty at the moment, and I started towards the dorms, deciding to see if I would have any luck at Feliciano's own room. I half-expected to see Alfred wandering around, but he was nowhere to be found, which was almost… _suspicious._ Alfred's behavior, Gilbert's behavior, and Mononeko's behavior… all of it was confusing…

"Oh! Hi, there, Sakura-chan! What're ya doing here?"

I jumped and spun around from the closed door to Feliciano's room to find myself facing Mononeko herself.

"All of your friends seem so sad… I just want to give all of them a great big hug and snuggle in their laps… You know that feeling, right?"

Suddenly, I felt some kind of strange, repressed feeling rise up inside me, rattling my mind around. I gritted my teeth. "Mononeko… I…"

Though a stuffed toy, Mononeko was surely smirking.

"I would like to have access to Feliciano-kun's room, please." I stated coolly, catching myself.

"Fine!" she responded with a huff. "But only because you said please! I can't stand ill-mannered people!"

There was a click behind me, and my gaze flicked to the door for a moment before back to Mononeko – who was gone.

_How weird, and… irritating._ I thought with furrowed brows. _Why does the person behind "Mononeko" act in such a way?_ As per usual, I buried this thought away; another unanswerable question was nothing but a burden. An image of a clock flashed through my mind. _There can't be much time left until the "school trial" begins… I have to hurry, for Feliciano's sake and Gilbert's sake…_

My fingers wrapped around the cold, metal door handle, reminding me hauntingly of the Italian's body, which had had all warmth stolen from it by the cruelty of death. _Feliciano's… sake._

The handle turned, and the door slid open.

Surprise was the primary feeling I experienced upon entering the room.

It looked normal. Very normal. Even if he _had_ committed suicide, I'd expected something out of the ordinary… However, I was unwilling to accept that there weren't any possible clues present at this scene. _I'll find something. I have to._

The room itself was much different from my own. Where mine was made to resemble something like a typical Japanese environment, Feliciano's was Italian; however, it still had that touristic touch to it.

Along the walls were worn-looking papers, and upon further observation I noted that each one was either a map of some city in Italy, or a recipe for a dish I couldn't understand. I smiled faintly, remembering how cheery the boy had been when cooking meals for those who refused to eat the school's food; it was lighthearted, but seemed very distant now.

Everything else in the room, for the most part, looked normal. I made my way over to the last part of his room. To the right of the door, similar to my room, was a small table, probably meant for homework – like we'd get any – that had a number of framed pictures on it. My eyes flicked from one to the other; most were of Feliciano in various places in Italy, places I'd only seen in traveling guides and television shows, and one with Feliciano painting with an older man I assumed to be his father, and…

_Wait, that's strange._ I observed, looking at the frame on the far left, which was empty. _Why would there be a frame, but no photo…? Unless… did whoever put this together just make a mistake, and leave an extra one?_

With new curiosity, I checked back around the room, in the sheets of the bed, in the bathroom… and found nothing. The room was messy, granted, with some clothes thrown here and there, but even in the pockets of said clothes, there was no photo. I grimaced, took one last look at the **empty photo frame**, and left Feliciano's dorm.

Upon stepping outside, I exchanged a few words with Sadiq, who, along with a few other students, had started searching for "clues" as well. I'd told him about my findings in Feliciano's room, and he was equally puzzled. "Oh, by the way, that soldier guy – Gilbert? – said he wanted to see ya, when ya got a chance!"

I nodded, thanked him, and watch the Turkish student disappear around a corner.

By "when you have a chance," I assumed Gilbert meant when I was done investigating the rest of the floor, or when I thought I had enough clues – and considering the fact that I had practically none, I decided to keep looking and loop back around to the gym later.

With a sigh, I started for the cafeteria, deciding that it was the next-hottest spot for information on Feliciano and the night before, besides to his own room; he had been huddled there, in despair, after all. However, I was stopped far before reaching the room.

"Sakura," came a voice; I looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Sakura!"

There was a pat on my back all of the sudden, and I jumped. "W-who-"

I sighed a breath of relief upon realizing it was only Chun-Yan. She wore her usual grin, though it wasn't as wide as it normally was. Standing beside her was a much more nervous looking – and, yet, somehow, still very pretty! – Xiao Mei.

"What is it, Chun-Yan-chan…?" I murmured, meeting their gazes.

The girl immediately spoke up. "Eliza told us you were leading this "investigation" thing… so… Xiao Mei here saw Feliciano last night!"

I gasped.

"R-really, Chun-Yan, you could just let me speak and not blurt things out! That probably sounds pretty suspicious, you know!" The Taiwanese girl scolded, clearly irritated. Even then, it was obvious she was still shaken by the whole event. I looked at her questioningly.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm… Really, just a tad bit shocked, that's all. But last night, yes… It was late, and I knew about Feliciano's situation, being locked up in the kitchen, so I… this is going to sound incriminating, but I went down there, to check on him." She practically forced the words out, and I wondered why she seemed to think so highly of me. "This sounds weird, I know, but please, hear me out. I… I went to the kitchen, but he wasn't there. It was strange, and at this point I was getting really nervous, and, to be honest, was about to go find you-"

"Aiyaaah! You should have come and got me instead, Xiao Mei, instead of this robot!"

"-when, as I left, I… saw someone, at the end of the hall. I really wasn't sure what to think, but, hey, I guess my mind went straight to 'suspicious', right? So, I didn't call their name, but I know they were headed towards that hall with the room with the artifacts and stuff in it, and…" she took a moment to catch her breath, laughing nervously. "I-I went over to Feliciano's door, since it's near mine, and it was half-open. I didn't look in, though… I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't, and I'm sorry… if he'd been in there that could have probably been more useful, right?"

I took a moment to absorb this information – along with the fact that these two were treating me like some kind of officer or detective – and tried to muster up a grateful smile. "I-I suppose every detail helps. Thank you," I said with a bow. Chun-Yan stuck her tongue out and made a face before walking off, Xiao Mei in tow. For some reason, I got the feeling the Taiwanese girl wished she had different friends.

I leaned up against the wall for a moment to process her story. I was already aware of the relationship between Xiao Mei and Feliciano – it wasn't romantic, or it hadn't been, at least, but they were acquaintances. I'd spotted Feliciano cheerfully talking to her on numerous occasions, and just the other day, the two had made a lunch dish together in the kitchen – the fashion star apparently had a secret passion for cooking, which was right up the Italian boy's alley. In short, the two were friends. They knew each other; which was why she had been so worried upon seeing him in that condition, probably. Even then, I felt like Xiao Mei had been holding out on me.

It was, nonetheless, still a good amount of evidence. I couldn't outright confirm that that figure had been Feliciano. I couldn't even trust her info, to be honest; what if she was the killer?

I shook my head, clearing my mind, for the umpteenth time that day, and jogged down the hallway towards the historical room. Considering Xiao Mei's words, it seemed a key location in the case.

My eyes widened.

This room… was definitely significant.

Paintings had fallen from the wall, more than one of the display cases were shattered, the floor was littered with glass… But there was no blood.

It was perplexing.

This certainly complicated the case… complicated it, a lot. Unless Feliciano had gone on some kind of angry rampage and taken it out on this room before hanging himself, there had been a struggle here. Between two people. I placed a hand on my forehead and sighed. _Why does this all have to all on me…? I-I can't possibly solve some kind of murder,_ this_ complex, in such a small amount of time…!_

Despite this, I tried to piece things together in my head. Xiao Mei must've been telling the truth, which meant sometime last night, Feliciano had, on his own accord, left the kitchen, gone into his room, and then made his way over to the historical room. Was he alone? Could he have been meeting somebody? Or, was the room already in such a condition before he'd even arrived?

My head pounded, and the clicking of what I assumed was a grandfather clock hidden in the clutter didn't help with my stress. Time was running out. It was likely that, just as I was about to figure out the mystery, Mononeko would round us all up, drop us down a trap door, or something, to the "Class Trial", and I would let the whole group down, having not figured it out…

_That's right… The whole group. Gilbert! He and Elizaveta are still..._

Panting, I threw open the gymnasium doors and ran towards the center where, to no surprise, Gilbert still sat, conversing with Elizaveta.

"Oh! Sakura. Took you long enough!" he huffed, but sobered upon noticing my urgency. "What'd you find?"

I began explaining the picture in Feliciano's room, Xiao Mei's words, and, lastly, the condition of the historical room, which I'd spent a few minutes observing more thoroughly before sprinting back to the gym. Something seemed to click in Gilbert, at one point during my report; he'd nodded slightly and glanced back at the body, and then at Elizaveta, who had returned his gaze.

"…So, Adnan-san had told me you'd found something…?" I inquired quietly, noting the small number of students still in the gym who were listening to us with unreadable expressions.

"Right, right…" he began. "Now that I heard what you said, it sounds pretty damn vital to the whole case, I think. You see-"

"Nyaaa! I hope you darlings are all ready for the school trial!"

I groaned instinctively at the blaring voice echoing through the gymnasium and surrounding hallways.

"This one's going to be a doozy, I can tell! Please make your way to the Main Stairwell as soon as possible! I know you're teenagers, but that's no excuse to be late to the event of the century! Well then, I'll see you all soon!"

I swallowed. During the whole investigation, I'd been expecting that call, but it was still just as surprising and despair-inducing as it would be if I hadn't been. Everyone in the gymnasium seemed to share a mutual moment of disorientation, before, one by one, they exited. Anxiousness bubbled up my chest like acid. I wanted to ask Elizaveta and Gilbert what they were going to do, but found myself speechless, almost choking on my own words. The two didn't pay any attention, and were well on their way to the stairwell when I finally caught up with what was happening and hurried after them.

We'd found the stairwell, at one point or another, earlier that week. I had never personally walked by it, because it was down at the far end of the extensive hallway the cafeteria was located on, and because it was closed off by a heavy metal door – one you'd find in some kind of top secret government facility. Sadiq had mentioned it to me, along with his suspicion as to why we were all placed on the second floor of the school instead of the first, only to have Mononeko pop up and inform him that it was due to nobody in our "class" being South American. Because of this, she'd closed off the floor and "had it renovated." It sounded dreadful. And as I approached the stairwell, which was now no longer blockaded by an impenetrable wall of steel, the ominous feeling it gave off didn't make me feel any better about the apparent renovation.

I noticed Gilbert's grayish mess of hair a little further ahead of me. I had lost track of him earlier, considering the fact that the hallway was fairly narrow and everyone was more or less forced to squish together, and now hurried my pace until I was close enough to him.

In a serious, but hushed tone, I questioned him once again: "What was it you were talking about, Beilschmidt-san?"

He glanced down at me, the carelessness completely gone from his red eyes, replaced with solemnity. "There were two things, now that I think about it, but-"

"Shhh! No talking, children! I want silence! Single file, come on now!" screeched Mononeko from somewhere behind me, and the boy immediately straightened. "Save it for the trial," he told me before walking ahead. I followed, amazed. _To think that's the same guy that was angrily objecting to Mononeko just a few days ago… He is 'Super High School Level Solder,' I suppose…_ Still, it felt like Mononeko was purposely attempting to throw us off.

We eventually were all in the stairwell, heading downwards, silently. I wasn't sure who was leading, but knew they were probably experiencing even more fear for what was ahead than I was. Despite the feeling, however, I held my head high, thinking back to Feliciano, and to the trust Xiao Mei – along with many others – had apparently put in me.

_Cling, clang. Cling, clang._

The stairs were loud, made of some sort of metal, and uneven. In a normal school, I thought, this would be a safety hazard. From what I'd read about American schools, they didn't include long, dangerous, unlit tunnel-like stairwells, either, which led me to believe that this was _recently_ put in, under the "new administration," and probably included with the "renovations" made to the South America floor.

_Cling, clang. Cling, clang._

I was uncomfortable. I couldn't tell who was in front of me; it seemed to be the tall, built frame of Herakles, at first, but the long hair could have also belonged to Francis. It was impossible to discern which student they were in the suffocating darkness, and asking was definitely out of the question. I glanced behind me, immediately recognizing the spiky hair of Alfred. He seemed to notice my gaze, and whispered, "Hey, Sakura! That's you, right…?! Or is that Elise? Darn, I can't tell…"

"It's Sakura," I replied curtly before turning my head back around to try and watch my step. Alfred had recovered, at least, and had that jumpy, positive tone that he usually had. Was it faked? Was he actually still feeling bad, and just hiding it? I didn't have the patience to figure it out.

_Cling, clang._

A light.

We'd reached the bottom.

Everyone filed into the room at a steady pace, moving to either side of the stairwell, gawking. The student before me – Francis, I realized upon seeing his sunny blonde hair – stepped out and slowed, and I followed suit.

It certainly was "renovated." Three iron walls stretched out on all three sides of us, into the ceiling, preventing us from seeing the rest of the floor, which I was sure was much larger. The "room" created by the three walls, as well as the wall behind me holding the stairwell, was around the size of, if not slightly larger than, an average classroom. In the center was a circle of stands, almost like a court room sort of setting – which, I noted, made sense, considering this _was _a "School Trial." Off of each stand hung either an American, Canadian, or Mexican flag, along with a few flags which I did not recognize but assumed to belong to different Caribbean islands. Before the wall directly opposite to me was a miniature Statue of Liberty, holding up a chair instead of a torch, where, of course, Mononeko was seated, leisurely waving her – its – stubby legs back and forth like a child, its tail hanging beneath the chair.

"Now now, don't be shy, everyone! Find yourselves a desk! I don't mind if you sit next to your best friends. Just don't misbehave, or I might assign seats!" she called.

I watched blankly as everyone around me sauntered over to a stand, looking very confused and _very_ nervous. There was a pat on my shoulder, and then Sadiq, with a hearty "C'mon!" was towing me over to a stand next to the one he'd chosen. However, to his dismay, Herakles then stepped up onto the stand on the other side of me.

"Oh, hell no! I'm not sittin' anywhere near _you!_"

"Move, then…"

"Y-you two-" I interjected, only to be interrupted by Herakles' soft tone:

"You wouldn't… want to sit next to some filthy old guy like that… right, Sakura…?" he sounded tired. _As usual,_ I mused sarcastically to myself.

"Filthy?! I take boiling hot baths every night, ya liar!" Sadiq shouted defensively. "You're the one who lazies around with dirty cats every day, aren't ya?!"

"At least I… actually have a useful talent… unlike yours, "Tour Guide…"" came the exhausting reply.

"Wh- _u-useless?!_ " Sadiq was even more enraged now, to my chagrin. Mononeko was yelling in the background for us to stop "making a racket back there!".

Herakles seemed to have given up, and murmured something in a defeated tone before falling asleep. It was a marvel, really, and I was surprised he wasn't the Super High School Level Slumberer – he'd managed to pass out while standing up, head cradled in between his two folded arms, and still looked particularly peaceful.

"Anyway," Mononeko hollered, though Sadiq was still quietly seething and muttering something about using twelve different types of soaps and deodorants, "it seems some of you still think bickering like little rat-children is endearing! Neither of you will never wife Sakura-chan with that kind of attitude!"

I blinked for a moment before making an incredulous expression. "What the-"

"It doesn't matter, though! I'm sure you'll all be nice and work together once this is over! I mean, granted one of you will be dead…"

_…How could I have let that slip my mind for even a moment?_ I was motivated to cast a glare Sadiq's way for getting carried away on such a trivial matter, but kept my eyes directed at Mononeko as she finished bantering on about students and "proper classroom behavior."

_I'm sure of it… Feliciano Vargas' death was not a suicide… but for some reason, it was made to look like one… Xiao Mei saw him last, but I'm sure Alfred is holding out on us… Gilbert also has "vital" information, but other than that, I don't have a lot of leads. And nobody has an alibi. The empty frame isn't very substantial. Even so… if I don't pull myself together, we could end up blaming the wrong person and getting everyone killed._


	7. Free Time 1

**A/N: **this chapter's completely optional and not really vital to the story like most Free Times will be? Idk character interaction or something

BREAK

Free Time – Francis Bonnefoy

"Nya-yayaya! Good morning, sweeties!"

I rose from bed, still not used to the "wake-up bell." I couldn't remember what I'd dreamed about, but surely Mononeko's obnoxious voice would have disrupted it anyways.

_Another day… _I thought wearily. _The authorities still haven't broken in here… No, nobody has… _I lazily ran a comb through my short hair, glancing down at the "pin" Mononeko had placed on the counter in my room's very small bathroom. It was, of course, in the shape of her stuffed-animal head. The previous day – or rather, the first actual "morning" we spent here - she had appeared, telling me that it fit my style much more and that she would rather me wear that than the usual flower pin I wore (which was, mysteriously, no where to be found.) I had also noted that morning that the school outfit that I thought I'd worn here was either gone, or had been altered; I now wore mismatched shoes, one being white and the other red. It was the same with the top two buttons on my white undershirt. I recognized the strange color scheme to be like that of Monomi's and irritation stir in my chest.

I was always one to follow rules. It's not like I did it energetically, but it was the best way to avoid attention and create problems. However, as I held that annoying hair pin in my hand, I dropped my passivity for just one moment and set it back down. _Why would I wear something so strange? Why does 'Mononeko', or whoever this kidnapper is, even _want _me to wear something like this…?_

With that, I exited my room and made my way towards the cafeteria, where almost everyone was already gathered, lounging around in chairs. A few groups were talking with each other about the school, but for the most part, everyone was eating and watching each other. I cautiously took a step forward, when-

"_Bonjour_, Miss Sakura Honda! Your hair is looking lovely today!"

I glanced behind me to find Francis Bonnefoy looking expectantly – and a little… seductively?! – at me, a plate of some kind of Italian dish in his hands.

"…Good morning, Bonnefoy-san." I responded curtly, turning to him. "Do… you need something?" To be honest, I expected him to try and flirt with me, like I'd seen him do with some other students – to "show off his talent" – and certainly wasn't looking forward to it. In this setting… that kind of romance seemed inappropriate…

He grinned a little. "It's nothing, just, my friend Marguerite and I wanted to invite you to sit with us. You looked lonely, _mon cher_!"

I blinked, taken aback. _That's… that's nice, of him…_ After a moment, and realizing I really didn't feel comfortable with anyone, considering the situation, I nodded at Francis, who smiled again. We made our way over to a table near the back of the second half of the café, which was Canadian-themed. The apparent huntress girl nodded shyly as the two of us approached.

After much insistence, I agreed to let Francis share some of his food with me, which I secretly appreciated very much. The three of us talked a little, and though I could barely even understand Francis due to his heavy accent, my opinion on him changed much. Marguerite seemed nice at all; despite her intimidating "Super High School Level" talent, she was very soft-spoken and polite, much like myself.

Later, Alfred gave a speech about staying positive and trying to find a way out, which everyone was more or less forced to agree and go along with. After his big conclusion, we were all 'dismissed', and students gradually trickled out the cafeteria doors to go spend their time however they pleased.

The three of us stood up to leave when Francis asked Marguerite and I to wait.

"Well, I'm sure you all realized Arthur was not at breakfast," he mentioned, leaning against the wall. I exchanged a nervous glance with Marguerite. "To tell the truth, I heard him making some strange noises that were _definitely _not noises of pleasure last night, while walking by his room."

More anxiety built up inside me. _Arthur…? The 'Magician'? Could he b-be…_

"So, does anyone want to check it out with me?" asked Francis casually. Marguerite squeaked out a "No thank you!" and rushed off, leaving me with the overly-curious Frenchman.

I met his ocean blue eyes. "You're not implying that… Arthur is… Planning on killing… are you?"

The blond shrugged. "I'm sure it's not that – I don't think that guy has the 'balls' for it, as Alfred would say – but I would like to make sure. He seems like the type that would go insane in this kind of situation!"

I giggled nervously and agreed to go with him, for whatever stupid reason that was. I regretted it as soon as we got near his door, and heard strange voices of all kinds.

"Weird… I thought these doors were soundproof," I mentioned in a hush tone as Francis eyed it warily.

"Well, you could say that," came _that _voice from behind me. I whirled around, finding Mononeko there. " but really, the sound-proofing only works once you lock the door! Hehehe!"

"Eh?" I turned around again, reaching for the door handle, pushing it, and…

The door slowly opened. Francis and I exchanged a shocked glance. _That must be why we could hear him speaking then…! Still, it seems like an inconvenient feature…_

The door gradually swung back until it was at a right angle with the hallway, and both Francis and I peeked in and stared in awe at what we were witnessing. There was Arthur, standing in the center of his room, surrounded by candles, wearing a dark cloak…

…smiling, laughing, incomprehensibly talking in a cheery voice, and reaching out with both hands at some sort of unseen object.

"…Huh." Francis said.

"Huh…" I said.

"Pyahahaha! Look at him! He's totally off the walls!" shouted Mononeko, who was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips. "Smoking drugs isn't allowed here at World's Hope Academy, you know that, Arthur Kirkland!"

The English boy heard us and snapped out of his trance. His eyes widened as he glared at the intruders, brows reaching up to his hairline, before screaming in surprise. Immediately, the door slammed shut on its own, sending Mononeko flying at an incredible speed past Francis and I and into the opposite wall.

Francis began cackling, and I found that I, too, was laughing uncontrollably as well. "That guy, he really is nuts! _Mon dieu_!"

Mononeko was banging on the now unmoving – and locked – door.. "You rat! Violence against me is against the rules, you know! I'll smack you to next week! Open up right now!"

Once we had calmed down, both leaning against either side of the wall, the French student glanced at me. "Well, thanks for accompanying me, Miss Sakura. I had a feeling whatever that… _Anglais, _was doing, it would be something weird like this…!"

I smiled back, spirits lifting. "Yes… Arthur is a strange individual indeed. Thank you,"

We parted ways, and I felt like I had gotten to know Francis Bonnefoy a little more – he was not just some sexual-celebrity, or a flirt; he was, honestly, very playful and kind. However, I got the feeling I would not be forgiven by Arthur Kirkland, or at least not for a while.


End file.
